An 18-wheeler and a Dodge truck triggered two accidents on South Carolina highways yesterday. The State Patrol reports included no information about injuries in the tractor trailer accident. Two died in the other crash.

The tractor trailer was traveling north on Interstate 85 near mile marker 64. As the truck merged into the right lane, it struck a box truck. The box truck was sent off the road and into the barrier. The 18-wheeler entered traffic again, causing the driver of a four-door sedan to swerve to avoid it. The sedan struck the guardrail.

The driver of the 18-wheeler did not stop. The truck continued northbound on I-85. State Patrol are asking for any information about the truck, which had a North Carolina license plate; the number 53 was somewhere in the license number. The truck likely sustained damage to its right end.

A few hours earlier, on the I-95 bridge over Lake Marion, the Dodge truck struck a 2010 Chevrolet Impala when the Impala and the cars ahead had slowed for traffic. The Impala struck the rear of a Honda sedan.

The State Patrol reported that the Impala was "sandwiched" between the two vehicles. Both the driver and the passenger were dead at the scene. There was no information about their identities.

The passengers in the Dodge and the Honda were all wearing seat belts. The driver of the Dodge, a 51-year-old man from out of state, was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

I-95 was closed for more than three hours. The crash on I-85 took about 90 minutes to clear.

Sources:

WSPA.com, "Highway Patrol Seeking Information About I-85 Wreck In Spartanburg County," Aug. 5, 2011

The Times and Democrat, "I-95 crash near Santee results in 2 fatalities," Aug. 5, 2011